Device for locating and raising sunken vessels.



J. M. STAFFORD. I DEVICE FOR LOCATING AND RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS. APPLICATION FILED FEB.26. 1916.

1 04,605. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3. M. STQFFORD .N.S.)(L9 &

J. M. STAFFORD.

DEVICE FOR LOCATING AND RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. I916.

1 04,605. Patented Nov; 14, 1916.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z5 I 14, 16 16 4 I J. M. STRFFORD 1 JAMES M. STAFFORD, or WASHINGTON, INDIANA.

DEVICE FOR LOCATING AND RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

Application filed February 26, 1916, Serial No. 80,604. 7

To all whom it may concern Be it known that'I, JAMES M. STAFFORD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington in the county of Daviess, State of Indiana,-have invented a new and useful Device for Locating and Raising Sunken Vessels; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for locating and raising sunken vessels, the object of the invention being to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby a sunken vessel can be immediately located and readily engaged by grapples and hoisting cables without necessitating the services of a diver.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is comparatively inexpensive in its construction, which can be easily transported to the location of the wreck and brought into operation, which has the necessary strength for handling heavy vessels, and which provides for engaging the hull of the vessel at a number of points in such a manner that the raising of the vessel will not be delayed or prevented by the breaking or pulling loose of one of the hoisting cables.

lVith these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the. description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed outuin the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sunken vessel with the position indicating floats at the surface of the water, the parts being shown in the position assumed before the grapples andhoisting cables are lowered into operative position. Fig. 2 is an end 50 view of the vessel with the grapples and hoisting cables lowered into operative position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the vessel with the grapples and hoisting cables in operative position. Fig. 4 is a top plan 55.view of the-same. Fig. 5 is an -.enlarged' vertical sectional view through one of the" grapples, the cable gripping jaws being shown in inoperative position by full lines, and in operative position by dotted lines.

Corresponding and like'pa'rts are referred. to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Specifically describing the present embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 designates the hull of a sunken vessel which it is desired to raise to the surface of the water in order that it may be repaired and again put into use. Both the stem and the stern of the vessel are provided with location indicating floats or buoys 2 which normally rest loosely upon the deck of the vessel so that they will rise to the surface in the event the vessel sinks. Each of the floats 2 may be provided with a flag 3 for assistance in locating the same. The floats 2 are connected to the respective ends of the vessel by flexible cords 4 which are wound upon drums 5, said drums being journaled upon the lower ends of the floats 2. These ropes. 4 will unwind from the drums 5 as the ves-' sel sinks, permitting the floats 2 to remain at or rise to the surface. The lower ends 4 of the float holding ropes 4 are sufliciently' heavy and strong to be employed l as hoisting cables in lifting the hull, and are securely connected to the hull in such a manner that they will not pull away from the same. Ordinarily therewould be about one hundred feet of this heavy rope or cable i 4, in order that there might. be no difliculty in gripping and engaging the same with a grapple. g

After the vessel has been located by means of the floats 2, tubular grapples 6 are slipped l upon the float cords 4 and lowered with the float cords acting as guide members. These tubular grapples 6 have suitable guide rollers 7 at the top and bottom thereof for engagement with the float cords 4 to prevent a any binding-action, and arranged within the interior of the tubular grapples 6 are opposed cable gripping jaws 8, said jaws being mounted to slide bodily within the grapple, and the lower ends thereof being rounded and inclined at 8 for engagement with a cam shoulder or throat 6 in the body of the grapple. When the jaws 8 are moved downwardly, or the grapple body 6 moved upwardly, the inclinedsides 8 of the jaws 8 engage and cooperate with the inclined walls 6 of the shoulder to force the jaws toward each other and into a firm engagement with the cord or cable 1*. A pair of levers 9 are provided for controlling the jaws 8, said levers extending through openings 10 in the sides of the grapple 6, and being pivotwith the cam shoulder 6 of the grapple.

This results in forcing the jaws into a tight engagement with the thick end a of the cord 4, and any upward pull upon the body of the grapple will tend to force the said jaws into a still tighter engagement with the cable. A hoisting cable 14 is attached to each of the grapples 6 and, after the grapples have been brought into engagement with the thick ends 4: of the float cords 4, these hoisting cables 14: are operatively connected to the hull of the vessel in such a manner that they can be used in lifting the same.

Each of these grapples 6 is provided with a frame 15 which projects laterally upon opposite sides thereof, the lower end of the frame being bifurcated to straddle the hull of the vessel, and having the arms 15 which are adapted to projectdownwardly on opposite sides of the hull. A looped or U-shaped hoisting cable 16 has the lower ends thereof engaged by suitable guide members 17 at the sides of the grapple frame 15. The looped lower end of the cable 16 may be composed of a chain 16*, as indicated, while the ends of the looped cable extend upwardly on opposite sides of the hoisting cable 14;. The looped hoisting cable 16 is thus lowered into position along with the grapple 6, the chain 16 being deposited on the bed of the stream or other body of water adjacent the end of the hull. This is duplicated at the stem and stern of the vessel.

A second set of grapples18 are now lowered on the four upwardly extending ends of the looped hoisting cables 16, said grapples being provided with cable engaging jaws which are identical in construction with those previously described in connection with the grapples 6, said jaws being controlled by levers 19 corresponding to the levers 9. Before being lowered, the corresponding grapples 18 at opposite ends of the ship are connected by tie ropes or cables 20 which have a length considerably less than that of the hull. As these grapples 18 de scend upon the hoisting cables 16, the said cables 16 at opposite ends of the vessel are drawn toward each other, as indicated by Fig. 3. When the grapples 18 reach a proper position they are securely looked upon the cables by pulling upwardly on the wires 20 connected to the levers 19. The

cables 14 and 16 may now be used for pulling upwardly upon the hull 1 to lift the same, and the initial pull upon the cables 16 will result in disengaging them from the guide members 17 of the grapple frames 15 and drawing the chains 16 under the hull of the vessel or into a firm engagement withthe stem and stern thereof, as indicated by Figs. 3 and 4. The guide members 17 may have a fragile formation, being merely of sufficient strength to hold the cables 16 in position during the initial lowering thereof. The hull 1 is thus independently engaged by two hoisting cables at each end thereof, so that the raising of the vessel will not be delayed or prevented by either one of the cables becoming disengaged from the hull, or breakin Tlaving thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. A device of the character described in cluding a pair of looped hoisting cables, means for lowering them at the ends of a V sunken ship, grapples adapted to be lowered upon the looped hoisting cables, and tie ropes connecting the grapples for drawing the hoisting cables toward each other and bringing them into engagement with the sunken vessel.

2. A device of the character described including a pair of looped hoisting cables, means for lowering them at opposite ends of a sunken vessel, grapples adapted to be lowered upon the looped hoisting cables,

means for locking the grapples in position upon the looped hoisting cables, and a tie rope connecting the grapples for drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other and bringing them into engagement with the sunken vessel.

3. A device of the character described including float cords extending upwardly from a sunken vessel, looped hoisting cables, frames supporting the lower ends of the looped hoisting cables, means for lowering the frames upon the float cords as guide members, and means for subsequently drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other to bring them into engagement with the sunken vessel.

' 4. A device of the character described ineluding float cords extending upwardly from opposite ends of a sunken vessel, a pair of looped hoisting cables, frames adapted to be lowered upon the float cords as guides and provided with means for engaging the looped hoisting cables to bring the same into position at opposite ends of thevessel, and means for subsequently drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other to disengage them from the frames and bring them into engagement with the vessel.

5. A device of the character described including float cords extending upwardly from opposite ends of a sunken vessel, a pair of looped hoisting cables, frames engaging the hoisting cables, means for lowering the frames upon the float cords as guide members to bring the looped hoisting cables opposite the ends of the Vessel, grapples adapted to be lowered upon the hoisting cables, and connecting means between the grapples for drawing the hoisting cables toward each other so that they will become disengaged from the frames and drawn into engagement with the ends of the vessel when an upward pull is exerted thereon.

6. A device of the character described including float cords extending upwardly from opposite ends of a sunken vessel, the lower ends of the float cords vbeing of sufficient strength to be used as hoisting cables, grapples slidable upon the float cords, means for locking the grapples in engagement with the lower ends of the float cords, hoisting cables connected to the grapples, a pair of looped hoisting cables, frames carried by the grapples and engaging the looped hoisting cables to bring the latter into position opposite the ends of the vessel as the grapples are lowered, and means for subsequently drawingthe looped hoisting cables toward each other to disengage them from the frames and bring them into engagement with the ends of the vessel.

7. A device of the character described including float cords extending upwardly from the ends of a sunken vessel, the lower ends of the said cords being of a sufficient strength to be employed as hoisting cables, grapples slidable upon the float cords and adapted to be lowered thereon as guide members, means for locking the grapples with the lower ends of the float cords, hoisting cables connected to the grapples, a pair of looped ples are lowered, a second set of grapples adapted to be lowered upon the looped hoisting cables, and connecting means between the grapples of the second set for drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other so that when a pull is exerted thereon they will be disengaged from the frames and brought into engagement with the ends of the vessel.

8. A device of the character described in cluding float cords extending upwardly from opposite ends of a sunken vessel, the lower ends of the float cords being of a suflicient strength to be used as hoisting cables, grapples adapted to be lowered upon the float cords as guide members, means for locking the grapples with the lower ends of the float cords, hoisting cables connected to the grapples, a pair of looped hoisting cables, means carried by the grapples for directing the lower ends of the looped hoisting cables into positions opposite the ends of the vessel as the grapples are lowered, and means for subsequently drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other and bringing them into engagement with the ends of the vessel.

9. A device of the character described including a pair of looped hoisting cables, guide means for lowering and positioning the looped ends of the cables opposite the ends of the vessel, and means for subsequently drawing the looped hoisting cables toward each other to bring them into operative engagement with the ends of the ship.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES M. STAFFORD.

Witnesses:

HUGH S. HILL, HARRY B. ROOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

